Rose's Letter
by HeadGirl07
Summary: In Rose's letter to her parents, she writes that the Transfiguration teacher will be out recovering in St. Mungo's. Plus, someone is waiting for her in the owlery. Rated T in case for later chapters. Rose/Scorpius, Ron/Hermione
1. Sending a Letter

"No one appointed you as Hogwart's reporter, Rose," snickered Albus as the cousins made their way upstairs to the dormitory. "I mean, they'll just hear everything from us on Christmas. What's the point when we'll just repeat everything again? And everyone will be sad when they've already heard it from Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron." Al shifted his bag to the other shoulder.

"I'm not claiming position for Hogwart's reporter, Al. I just like to write to my parents. Is that such a problem?"

Al rolled his eyes. "I don't understand how you can turn a week into a million rolls of parchment is all."

Blushing, Rose was quick to recover, "It was just that one week. It's not like I'll take up more than three rolls this time, so quit it." They arrived at the Fat Lady to which Rose said, "Dragon heartstring," and the portrait hole was revealed.

In they went, and before Al could go on, Rose marched up the girl's dormitory staircase and stated smugly, "Have fun completing that star chart and potions and transfiguration essay and bubotuber ---"

"Yes, yes, alright…" Albus stalked off into the corner with some other fourth years, also doing the dreadful list of assignments. Rose simply smiled, finished early as usual, and continued upstairs.

Sitting down at a desk near the window, she pulled out a white feather quill, her well of ink, and a roll of fresh parchment. Sighing, she dipped the pen into the ink and began to write. Before the pen touched the paper however, a thought of keeping the letter short crossed her mind. She was starting to run low on parchment. She never seemed to bring enough… Rose started:

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

_It's me again, of course. I honestly just like writing to you. Nobody seems to understand that. Could you send another pack of parchment? And ink for that matter? I know. I always run low. I promise to keep my letters shorter. In case you're reading this dad, (I know you like mum to read and summarize it for you.) Gryffindor won the first match of the season against Ravenclaw. Hugo's behaving just fine, though I did see him earlier sneaking around with James. You'd think James would have grown up by now. Lily tags along sometimes. I worry about them. _

_The thing I really want to mention was what happened in Transfiguration class today. A Hufflepuff in the back of the room had a potion he was supposed to turn into the potions master. As he forgot it was on his desk, in danger of getting hit, the kid next to him did just that. He aimed wrong and the spell blew up the potion all over Professor Malter. How can you aim wrong from that close? The wooden box was right in front of him. Maybe he needs glasses. Poor thing, Professor Malter burst into some kind of disfigured reptile thing and had to be taken to the hospital wing. It seems she was transferred to St. Mungo's. I wonder what he put in his potion. As soon as the head of Hufflepuff house came in, he was furious and gave him detention, as well as telling the potions master to flunk the potion he was supposed to turn in._

_I think she'll be there for awhile. It's a good thing it's Friday. I wonder who will replace her Monday… I don't want one of those lousy subs again who don't even read our essays. The others don't mind of course. Nothing else exciting really happened. Well, actually there is more but I'm trying to keep my letter short. Al seems to think I use a million rolls of parchment. It was only eight that one week! I hope you're all well. Say hello to everyone for me._

_Love, Rose_

Now with the letter finished, she went ahead and sealed it, preparing to go to the owlery to mail it to her parents. She packed up and headed downstairs to the common room, packed with fourth years on break. Al looked up in mock astonishment.

"Oh, you've already finished?" James snorted in the corner who was playing chess with Hugo, killing one of his pawns.

"Come back soon Rose, or we'll think Hagrid got you in for a taste of his rock cakes," said Hugo before he used his knight to knock out a castle.

"I will," responded Rose. "And that's wrong." She pointed at Al's essay. "Try the next chapter."

"Thanks." Albus scratched it out and turned the page of his book without hesitation. Rose walked out of the room, bumping into Lily.

"Hey Rose," she replied happily. "Sending an owl?"

"Yes." Rose grudgingly kept the annoyance out of her voice. _You can't keep from barging into one of your relatives here… _"How are you Lily?"

"I passed one of my Defense Against the Dark Arts tests with 100%. And I passed a test in Charms too."

"Good for you!" Rose was delighted for her. Lily was the youngest but out of all her siblings was the one most dedicated to academics. Al was close behind but Lily had the enthusiasm. "Well, I'll see you later."

"Okay Rose." With that, Lily passed her into the common room and sat to watch the chess match.

Rose navigated the moving staircases up to the owlery. She saw a large, healthy barn owl that looked excited to do something. As she walked over to call it down, a voice seemed to boom in the quite space.

"Hey Rose." A green and silver tie glinted from over in the corner. Out of the shadows came a blond, handsome boy with a smirk on his face. "It must be Friday if you're in the owlery." He came to stand beside her.

_I really don't need this right now… _In an exasperated tone she retorted,"Yes, it is Friday, and if I get another person commenting on how I write to my parents every week, I may never send this letter at all." She turned to face him.

Rose found him in his normally relaxed stance next to her. She never had any trouble talking with Scorpius. Despite her father's warning, she did become friends with him. Quite good friends, actually. She might even venture to say that he was her best friend. But Scorpius didn't look like he was acting like her best friend now. His face looked a little… bashful? Rose couldn't tell; she had never seen this expression on his face before. It seemed more reserved.

She caught herself examining his face for too long. Blushing, she looked at him in the eye and asked, "Did you come here to joke around with me? If I didn't know any better, you might have been waiting for me behind the door."

Scorpius screwed his face into a mixture of fake disgust and the reserved expression. "Why would I wait for Rosie in the owlery to send a letter to her parents? What do you think, I'm your dog?" He smiled again, white teeth showing. "A person can happen to be in the same room as another person, right? Are you going to report me to a prefect or something?"

Rose grinned back at him. "You wish. Well, what are you doing here then? Did you send a letter to _your _parents?"

Scorpius' face faltered. Rose figured she said the wrong thing. He didn't like talking about his family much. Not that they treated him terrible or anything, he just didn't like talking about them. To cover up the ensuing silence, she called to the barn owl in the eaves. It came willingly down. In quick motions she attached the letter to its outstretched leg and watched it take off into the sky.

"It's a wonder the owls here can lift your ten ton letters." Before Rose could make a comeback, Scorpius continued. "Did you finish all your homework? Or is that not really a question?"

"I finished my homework so what's it to you?" she snapped. Her arms crossed automatically over her chest.

"I didn't mean to make you mad." He put his hands up in surrender. "Just making friendly conversation."

Rose sighed. "Sorry. Everyone's been on me today. You know, you're lucky sometimes, not having a big family."

"Sometimes," he agreed. He sat on the ledge and patted a seat next to him. Rose sat down.

"Why are you in the owlery though?" she asked in curiosity.

"Guess I was bored, knew you'd be here, with no assignments to do."

"You've finished your homework then? Even the Charm's review?"

"Yup." Rose wasn't surprised. A lot of the time Scorpius seemed to slack in class, only to surprise her with how efficient he got his homework done. He did better than average on tests too. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer but certainly not the dullest.

"If you were bored, then why wait for me? Surely one of your friends would keep your mind busy."

"Most of them aren't real friends. They just flock over because they think I'm popular."

"That fan club of yours does keep a close watch on you. How did you manage to escape?"

"One finds ways. Of course, I've learned some of those ways from your cousins." He looked at her knowingly.

"Of course." She rolled her eyes. "James does attract a crowd."

Scorpius chuckled. "Yup."

They sat in silence for a minute or two. Rose liked this about Scorpius. There was no pressure to talk or not to talk with him. Everything was so natural.

"Well then. I suppose I should leave you to the sharks. I mean your family. Don't want them thinking you're up to no good." With a wave and a smile, he got up and opened the door to leave. "See you later, Petal."

"See you." She continued to sit on the ledge after he left, swinging her feet back and forth, thinking.

Petal. It was an odd nickname. Albus was the one who introduced them. She had been reluctant to talk to him but Al jumped right in after meeting him once in the boys' bathroom. Al had this talent of making quick friends she couldn't fathom. Well, all the Potter children did, really. They argued, her and Scorpius, and in that argument he tried to insult her using the common, overused term "Ginger." In her outrage, she challenged him to come up with something better, since obviously this term could be applied to most of her family. He tried "Flower" to which Rose frowned and Al grinned, then "Plant" where Rose sighed and Al laughed. She called him pathetic and tried to ignore him while Albus tried to help Scorpius sum up a suitable name. Finally, Scorpius settled on "Rosie Petal." Rose twitched toward him, scowling. Seeing this reaction, he rejoiced and continued to call her Rosie Petal until the end of the day.

She got used to it after a time and even some of her cousins used it on her. By that time, he shortened it to "Petal." _Thank goodness he shortened it._

Snapping out of her memories, Rose found it getting chilly in the owlery. Taking her bag, she sauntered over to the door and left to go back to the common room where, hopefully, she could find a spot in front of the fireplace to read her book.

* * *

A/N: Hey everyone! With luck, this will turn into a multi-chapter fic. However, reviews may make things go faster, hint, hint. Hope you've enjoyed my story. Happy reading!


	2. Dinner Date

Hermione, bent over a book, heard a rapping at the window. On the ledge sat a barn owl, waiting patiently to deliver the message in its talons. The owl stopped tapping when it realized it got the recipient's attention. Hermione reached over for her worn bookmark, inserted it in the large, leather-bound book, and walked over to open the window. In a trice the owl hopped in, sticking out its leg eagerly.

"Well, someone enjoyed the flight here." Hermione smiled at the envelope and the writing addressed to her and her husband. "Rose, of course." She watched in amusement as the barn owl bounced up and down, waiting for orders. "You can go now. I probably won't write her a response for awhile." It took off then, back into the sky, bound for the magical school. She closed the window with a soft thud.

As much as she loved reading Rose's descriptive letters, Hermione was torn. She had just gotten on vacation from work and the book that lay on the table was one she had not had a chance to read. When she picked up the letter, she noticed the significantly lighter weight. She strolled back to the chair, thinking to herself, _Rose must be running out of parchment or ink, most likely both. Either way, this is extremely short for her… _Hermione sat down when another owl tapped on the window, this time a smaller tawny owl. Back up again, she opened the window. Without looking at the letter, she undid the string from the owl and told it thank you before it took off like the one before it. She placed it next to the other envelope on the small table.

Hermione decided that, since she was on vacation, she had every right not to feel guilty for not looking at the letters immediately. Or, at least she tried. She would get to them soon enough. Before she cracked the spine of the much awaiting book, Ron came downstairs in a clean shirt and greeted her.

"Are you ready Hermione? Or would you prefer reading through the whole night?" He grinned in a lopsided manner, shooting a glance at the novel in her hands.

"Merlin's pants...," she murmured quietly. She had forgotten all about the dinner date with Ron. It was his day off and he said he had something special planned.

"We could stay here if you like," he said, sitting on the arm of the chair. "Just don't expect a wonderful dinner from me. I imagine the book's just getting good…" Placing his hand on her shoulder, he leaned in. "Forgot, hmm? Been a busy week; you've been working hard."

"No." Hermione stood up. "Well yes, I forgot, but no, I still want to go." She pecked him on the cheek. "If you'll wait a few minutes…" Ron nodded, chuckling.

She ran upstairs, thinking about where she put the dress she had been meaning to wear when Ron added as an afterthought, "You don't need to be that fancy. It's not that kind of fancy, anyway."

_The simple plaid skirt, then. _She reached the bedroom and picked out her clothes. Tossing things on the bed but trying not to wrinkle them, as soon as everything was in order she put them on and gave her hair a quick brush when Ron called. "I'm coming! Almost done!" Hermione raced back down after she tied her hair up in a split second decision. Ron stuck his arm out like a proper gentleman and she laughed when he escorted her to the car in the driveway. "You're driving us there?"

"Yes, unless you know where we're going." Ron opened the door to the passenger seat. Making sure she was in, he walked over to the other side, sat down and put the key in the ignition. Hermione laughed again while shaking her head. _He's either trying to make an effort or someone suggested a really good muggle buffet. _She could imagine him stuffing the food down his throat, her being the one to drive them back once he started nodding off. Ron began backing out of the driveway.

Left on the table by the lamp and leather-bound book rested Rose's letter and another waiting to be opened. The envelope that Hermione had not looked at was addressed to her with formal looking writing and sealed with the Hogwart's crest.

* * *

A/N: This is just a transition chapter; sorry if it seemed a bit fast-paced. Thank you to those who reviewed! I've got plans for the next chapter but I might take a short break and update my other stories. It shouldn't take long. Thank you again for reading!


	3. A New Week

The weekend was bearable to Rose. Her cousins and brother always enjoyed themselves no matter what the season. She just happened to have the most fun when she was learning and busy. Monday morning came fast, as though Saturday and Sunday didn't exist, with Rose taking pleasure in her most obvious past time, reading, in the spacious Great Hall during breakfast.

Jenna, her best friend, spread grape jelly on her toast, a slight frown on her face. Rose knew her so well she did not have to ask what Jenna was worried about. Pretending not to notice, however, she looked to the High Table, scanning it for a new teacher.

Her best friend caught on quick. "What are you looking at, Rose?" She turned to see. After a second she guessed correctly, "Are you looking for the Transfiguration teacher?"

"Do you know who the substitute is?" Rose asked, obviously hopeful.

"Not a clue." Munching her toast slowly, her face turned back into its previous expression. Jenna straightened up in a failing attempt to look cheerful and mentioned casually, "Isn't Hugo taking Transfiguration this morning, and your cousin for that matter?"

Rose forgot about that. "Yeah, they are. Guess I'll just ask them at lunch."

Strolling in as though they heard their names, Hugo and Lily approached the table. "Morning Rose," said Lily, a warm smile on her face. Al trailed just behind his sister.

"Hey Lily, Hugo." Hugo answered with an "mmph" as he sat to stuff his face and plate. Rose shook her head at her brother's atrocious manners.

"Hey, Rose. Ready for the quiz in Charms?" Al asked, passing her.

"Of course," she answered in a carefree voice.

Jenna snapped to attention. "I'm not! Will you two test me?" Rose had to smile. Her friend always got hyped up over nothing when studying for tests. "I think I fudged my review," she babbled on, "Oh, I know I'll do terrible---"

"You always do fine, Jenna." Al followed this up with a reassuring pat on the shoulder as he clambered over the bench to sit next to her. "You worry too much. If you get a grip on yourself, I'll test you." They started studying at once, Jenna's jelly-covered toast forgotten.

A pleasant voice drifted playfully over the morning conversations. "I see some of you find the need to review. I guess that's what normal people would do in a situation as _stressful _as this one." Scorpius glided in from the Slytherin table in his high-and-mighty fashion, following his normal routine. He winked at Jenna, though she probably wasn't paying attention. Noticing Rose, he sat down and peered over her shoulder, appearing as though he was also reading her book. "I see you aren't reviewing along with them. I guess Petal knows I'll beat her this time. Smart of you, really. No point fighting a lost cause." He smirked.

Rose turned, waved her fork at him, catching the glint in his eyes. "You wish, Malfoy."

She realized she must not have sounded convincing when Scorpius studied her. He spoke again. "Thinking about Transfiguration?" Rose pulled her attention away from her breakfast. _Am I that easy to read? _she thought. "Yes, me too," he continued, as if she answered his question. Exaggerating a yawn he concluded, "Bet the sub's a dud. Another boring class at Hogwarts. We were just learning about… I can't even remember what we were learning, that's how boring it is."

"What happened to Professor Malter?" asked Hugo after swallowing a large piece of bacon previously speared on his fork.

Al answered. "Got transfigured herself from that Hufflepuff's potion, taken to St. Mungo's." He returned to studying with Jenna.

"Why would you drink a student's potion? That's outright stupidity."

Rose sighed. "She didn't drink it," she explained exasperated, "The person next to him blew it up."

Hugo shook his head. "Stupidity," he muttered.

"You'll tell us how they are though, right? The teacher?" she asked suddenly, remembering Jenna's comment, "If they're decent or not?"

Hugo looked at his sister and rolled his eyes."My decent and your decent aren't one in the same."

"We will, Rose," Lily promised.

"Thank you." She closed her book and asked Al what time it was.

"I suppose it's time to go to class," he answered. "So much for breakfast." He started to put away his notes.

Jenna yipped in shock. "It can't be!" Her head bowed down in a look of defeat.

Scorpius sighed. "Jenna, Jenna, Jenna. You're better than average you know. Don't know why you stress out about these things. You can always cheat off me or Rose if you're desperate. Well, just Rose." She aimed a swing at his head. "See you guys in class, then." He strode off out of the Great Hall.

"Cocky git," said Al. "You wouldn't cheat anyway, Jenna. Too good for it." She blushed. "See you Lily. Bye Hugo." He got up to follow Scorpius. Rose did the same as Jenna followed behind, going over incantations under her breath.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"That wasn't so bad," Jenna said after their first bout of classes. She seemed relieved as soon as they exited Charms. "Much easier than I expected." Albus rolled his eyes at Rose. After attending double potions with the Ravenclaws, everyone headed to the Great Hall for lunch. Scorpius came to join them after his lesson of back to back History class.

"That was the most _boring _class I've had to sit through _ever_." He sat across from Al. "What do we need it for anyway, History of Magic? If Professor Binns ever actually got to the point of how any of this nonsense applies to us---"

In a double barrage attack, Rose and Jenna defended the subject. "There are plenty of ways it applies to real life, Scorpius."

"You just never seem to be able to make the connection---"

"Maybe if you didn't sleep through it---"

"We know it's boring, everyone knows that---"

"But if you made the effort---"

"Alright! I got the message." He scooted over, away from the girls. "Sheesh. Are you two going to be teachers when you grow up? I'd hate to sit through your classes…" They glared at him until he was forced to look down at his sandwich. "I still say it's not a subject worth studying," he added.

"Me too," answered Al. In return, he also received glaring. "No offense of course, but I think Scorpius is right. It would be nice to understand how important it to _us_, the students instead of, say, stinky old coots."

Jenna giggled, giving in. "Point taken."

Rose smiled as well. Looking over Jenna's shoulder, she could finally spot some second years arriving. _Why so late? _she wondered. _They usually are the first ones to get back. _Speaking her thoughts, she mentioned this to the others.

"Just ask them when they get here," came her best friend's lofty reply. But Rose was impatient. She could not find Lily or Hugo in the dense crowd of students. James came in to view and settled next to Al.

"Have you seen Lily or Hugo?" Scorpius piped up. "Rose looks about to go bonkers." She kicked him under the table, hitting her mark. She smirked as she saw him grimace.

"Matter a fact I have." James took a grilled cheese from the center of the table. He said nothing.

"Well?" asked Jenna, beating Rose to the punch. "You want to tell us?"

James still didn't reveal a thing until his decidedly worried expression gave him away.

"Did something happen?" Al burst from his brother's silence. "Is something wrong? I swear James if you don't tell me this instant---"

James retorted, "No, of course nothing is wrong, _Mum_." He seemed to think about this. Then he added, "Well, I don't think there's anything wrong."

Al was about to start in a rage at him when James cut him off. "Will you give me a chance? They're fine. They're not in the hospital wing or anything. They were just kind of off. Quiet. You know those two aren't quiet, had a seriousness about them."

_Now that_ is_ off, _thought Rose. _Normally they're the most talkative if anything. _James continued, "I think Hugo looked a bit pale too, white as a sheet from the glimpse I caught of them."

"What's wrong with Hugo?" Rose couldn't stand if anything happened to him.

"I don't know! Just wait for them, okay? They're fine, I swear. You'll see what I mean." The group waited in silence, anxiously eating their lunches.

* * *

AN: Finally this chapter is up! Thank you for waiting! It's been sitting on my computer for a bit. If I'm taking a long time to write it's because I'm either a) dreading school or b) reading other story alerts I've put off for forever or c) just haven't been on the computer. If you guys can't figure out what's coming I pity you. ;) I swear, I AM NOT LETTING THIS STORY GO BUST. I will finish it, even if I temporarily disappear off the face of the earth. Thanks for sticking with it and please keep reading and reviewing! :D


	4. The Sub

True to James's word, Hugo was as white as a sheet. Lily took the lead, making sure he didn't bump into anything, but she seemed just as anxious over whatever they were affected by. They sat down quietly, not taking notice of anyone.

"Hugo! What's wrong?" Rose demanded. Hugo looked at his empty plate.

"Tactful of you, Rose," muttered Al. He turned to Lily and asked gently, "What happened? Are you two okay?" James choked at Al's forced calmness.

Lily slowly lifted her head. "Oh, yeah, we're fine, right Hugo?" He still didn't respond to anyone's voice. He tried to scoop soup on his plate with his fork. With above average patience, Lily took Hugo's plate and replaced it with a bowl while switching the fork in his hand with a spoon. "He got the worst of it, see."

Rose wished they would spit it out already. "Got the worst of what?"

"Let them speak, Rose," reminded Jenna.

Rose ignored her. "Did they do something to you? What class was it? What happened?"

"They didn't do anything to us…," began Lily, "… it was in Transfiguration, and nothing 'happened' so to speak…"

Scorpius, face resting in hand and elbow on table, retorted, "Then why does Hugo look like the clam chowder in front of him?"

Lily shrugged, trying to look unconcerned. "You'll see when you get to class." She spoke to Rose. "Don't get angry. You're squeezing the stuffing from your sandwich." In response, the tomato slipped neatly out onto her plate, tearing where it was being squeezed.

"Deep breaths, cousin. Breath why don't you?" said James.

She took a breath. Al asked, "Is the sub alright?"

"She's… fine." The others faced Hugo. "No dud… no nonsense… Won't take cheek…"

Scorpius gave a wide grin. "Guess I'll have to test that." He elbowed Al from across the table and Al returned the jab.

"No you are not testing that!" shrilled Rose. "And you're not either, Al."

"What made you think I'd follow this dummy's footsteps?" But Al shared a look with Scorpius.

_Boys… _Jenna looked around at the other students then glanced at Rose with a meaningful gaze, but Rose was still too frenzied to care or understand. What happened? Did they get punished or something? Jenna ducked her head slightly and whispered, "No one else looks as disturbed as them." With that, Rose started to think properly. _She's right. None of the other students from their class look shocked… _

Upset, she said to her brother, "Don't worry. I'll put it right, whatever happened. It takes more than a no-good sub... Well, she'll have to put up with _me_. I'll make sure of it."

Lily protested earnestly. "But Rose! It's not like that!"

She swung her bag to her shoulder and ordered to her friends, "Come on, let's go to class!" Stomping away, Rose didn't wait for her friends to steadily rise.

Al hit Scorpius in the back and said joyfully, "Well, better her than us. No need to cause trouble; Rose will take care of it."

Jenna pushed pass them to catch up to her. "Boys," she muttered audibly.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

They were the first ones to arrive at the classroom. Rose tapped her foot impatiently.

"Stop tapping would you?" asked Jenna. "You're being insensible." Rose, figuring she was right, stopped immediately but did not drop her angry expression. Other students came, some shying away from her.

"So what do you think?" asked a Slytherin boy. "A do-nothing or a don't-know-what-to-do?"

"Just have to wait and see," answered Scorpius. He didn't bother hiding his glee, to which Rose felt extremely annoyed all over again.

The door to the classroom opened without a sound. Students crowded around and pushed each other forward. As everyone went in, Jenna mentioned quietly, "She's not here." This was true as far as anybody could tell. Some of them took to their seats as others lollygagged around their friends' desks.

"Look up there." Rose followed Al's gaze. An assignment was left on the board in neat handwriting to read chapter five in their textbooks. _At least she has an assignment up…_

Scorpius, to her surprise, had his book already opened. Rose followed his example as well as Jenna and Al. A few minutes into class and the door from the teacher's office opened. The substitute had finally decided to come.

The class took no notice but Rose and her friends looked up. Rose dropped her jaw and closed it just as quickly, eyes wide. _It can't be…_

The substitute greeted the class, holding the role call list in her hand. Clearly, she addressed them. "Good afternoon," she said. "My name is Professor Granger and I will be substituting for Professor Malter while she is recovering in St. Mungo's." With something between a glare and a look of disappointment, she eyed the students. "I see some of you failed to notice the assignment on the board…" After a pause, she started to call roll. When she got to "Thomas, Jenna" Rose realized that she didn't introduce herself as "Professor Weasley." She did not have time to ponder this when Professor Granger called her name.

"Weasley, Rose." She didn't move. Hermione lifted her head from the clipboard.

"Rose Weasley?" she asked. Scorpius promptly took her arm and raised it for her. The students laughed.

"Thank you Mr. Malfoy but I think Ms. Weasley is capable of raising her own hand." The class snickered again. Everyone knew too well that Rose was capable of raising her hand.

"Right, now that that's out of the way, I know you were supposed to be turning hedgehogs into pincushions…" Some students groaned while some silently cheered. "… but since this is my first class with you, I want you all to read chapters five and six in your textbook while taking notes. Tomorrow there will be a short quiz on what you've read." Some of the class cried out in dismay. "Oh, it won't be that hard," Hermione explained impatiently. "When you're done with that, you can work on your homework which is to write a four foot essay on Cross-Species Switches which will not be due until Friday. That should give you plenty of time."

Scorpius analyzed the teacher critically. Jenna wrote down the homework in her planner. The Slytherin boy that talked to Scorpius before class whispered to his mates, "She's no pushover…" Then Scorpius raised his hand.

"Yes Mr. Malfoy?"

"I don't want to sound rude," started Malfoy which had already earned chuckles from those around him, "but how can you have all these assignments ready for us when Professor Malter has only been gone for a weekend? Surely you've just been notified very recently?"

Hermione thought about her answer carefully. "I suppose I'm what most people call efficient. I was sent an owl on Friday but forgot to check what subject I would be teaching." Methodically, she added, "I just found out Saturday."

An intake of breath was heard from some of the class. How can a substitute prepare that fast with that many classes? And what sort of sub forgets to check which subject she's teaching? These thoughts and more ran through the students' heads as Professor Granger told them to work while she sat at the desk doing hers.

Rose, recovering somewhat from the shock, tried to concentrate on reading the book. She could not help thinking to herself, _No wonder she didn't respond to my letter…_

* * *

AN: Ha ha! Didn't take nearly so long this time! :) I'm rereading the Harry Potter books and I'm only on book three, not that you needed to know that. Hope this story is as fun to read as it is for me to write it. Please enjoy and reviews are certainly welcome! ;)


	5. After Class

"Oh, why did they have to turn up on my first day? I know I did terrible; you should have seen their faces…"

"I'm sure you did fine, Hermione," reassured Neville, grinning at her while walking beside his friend out of the staff room.

"I hope I haven't given them too much homework. I mean, I've already assigned a small quiz for Rose's class since they're in the middle of a unit. It was only a four foot---"

"Hermione! Stop worrying yourself to death!" But Neville wasn't getting through to her.

"---essay that's due Friday. Nothing went wrong in class, thank goodness, but you should have seen Hugo's face, I had him first thing in the morning. Lily was there too but she didn't turn quite so pale and this afternoon I saw Rose. She didn't even respond when I called her name during attendance she was so surprised, but I think Hugo or Lily must have warned them or something because Al was okay after the initial shock. I can't believe I'm actually teaching here---"

Neville interrupted her again more sharply. "I think Professor McGonagall picked the perfect person for the job."

Hermione finally heard him. She stopped and looked at him, doubt clearly showing on her face. "But Neville, I didn't study Transfiguration in depth… Technically I don't have the proper training or qualifications and for her to choose me as a substitute for her own subject…"

"Hermione." Neville stopped walking, holding her back. "Professor McGonagall probably would have sent you an owl even if it wasn't Transfiguration. It doesn't matter what subject, as long as it's not Divination." He smiled at her.

Returning his smile with a smaller one, Hermione shook her head. "As long as it's not Divination…," she agreed. "But really, she couldn't find any better qualified teachers?"

"I guess not," answered Neville. "Teachers are running in short supply you know. Old ones are retiring… I mean, look at the headmistress! She was reaching seventy I think when she taught us… Of course, wizards tend to live longer than muggles but still, everyone is getting old… and the new ones don't have much experience---"

"But Neville, I'm no teacher! I haven't had any experience!"

He failed at holding back a chuckle. "You're the smartest witch on the planet Hermione, don't deny it. You could have had any career if you put your mind to it. Besides, she knows you can handle it." Hermione's head dipped. Neville laughed again and asked, "Don't tell me you don't like teaching students Hermione! I could have sworn you were going to be a teacher when you got out of school."

"But look who became a professor instead?" She smiled, hinting at him. It was his turn to be embarrassed.

The pair had reached the double doors of the Great Hall. He opened the door to allow her in first, then followed after her. He continued, "You'll get used to it, Hermione."

"I don't know how," she replied, her usual self coming back. "It's so weird being back, especially as a teacher. Sometimes, I feel like I've never been here before."

"That's the way I felt too. Different experience as a teacher, isn't it?"

They walked up to the High Table, claiming their empty seats. "Very different," she concluded.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Rose sat with the bunch, avoiding looking at the teachers. Hugo saw his sister, giving a small smirk in the process. When they were going to dinner, Scorpius immediately noticed the change in Rose.

"What's wrong with _you_now?" he asked, annoyance clearly evident from his tone. "What, are you allergic to this teacher too? She's just another substitute. Professor Granger," at this Rose cringed but Malfoy didn't notice, "seemed like the type to just make sure we got our work done, one of those 'follow the curriculum' teachers. She's not at all scary so why are you Gryffindors all acting strange? Even you, Al. I saw you freeze up. What's going on?"

Al laughed bizarrely, not quite forced. "Nothing's _wrong_ Scorpius, promise."

He snorted. "Right, nothing's wrong, just everyone in your family seems to get the willies from the Transfiguration teacher. I'm off to my table, see if I can find some sane people for a bit… See you guys later." He walked off to the Slytherin table.

Jenna looked concerned at her friend. "Are you okay Rose?" Rose nodded and quickly sat down. Jenna looked as though she didn't believe her either, but she didn't continue to press upon the subject. Al sat next to Rose, making sure she had something to eat, as she made no motion to fill her plate.

"How were classes?" asked Lily, tentatively. Hugo ate his food slower, listening to what was being said.

Rose had no idea how classes were. She did her work quietly and quickly, not raising her hand once during any of the lessons. She could not recall anything. The only thing that stood out was seeing her mother teaching class.

"Guess what Rose?" said Hugo in a near shout, snapping her out of it. "There's going to be new chocolate frog cards! Now people can't say they have a complete collection." He grinned at this and steepled his hands in an evil fashion, his face full of what ideas he could be plotting. "Now Barry can't hold that over my head…" Barry was one of Hugo's friends in Hufflepuff house.

She looked at her brother with unmatched scrutiny. "Who cares if there are more chocolate frog cards? I don't understand what you find so fascinating about them. It's just used as a gimmick to get you to buy them." But Rose was not opposed to chocolate frogs. She was just acting cranky, what Hugo deemed for her to be "normal." Hugo didn't rise to fight her argument. Of course, she gave him all her cards and once in awhile asked to see them but that was it, so he wasn't complaining. After that outburst she wasn't so oblivious to everything. She was still nervous, however, as she walked to the common room with Jenna. Why was her mother at school? Wasn't she supposed to be on vacation soon? Couldn't she have at least written a letter back, a warning that she would be coming? Did her mother have some kind of degree in Transfiguration or something?

"Password?" The Fat Lady had her friend Violet in the picture who sat impatiently, waiting for the students to answer. They looked like they were exchanging the usual gossip.

"Dragon heartstring," answered Jenna. "Rose," she asked, "Do you want to start on homework? I might need help on that thing from Ancient Runes. I mean, I got most of it down… Rose?"

"Yes?" Rose, distracted, quickly took out her Ancient Runes homework to cover up the way she was acting.

Jenna sighed. "Spill."

"Spill? What, did I break an ink bottle?" In a bogus attempt to fake her, she searched her bag.

"You know what I mean Rose. Tell me." Her focused gaze bored into her friend, who tried to stop herself from looking at the floor. When Jenna wanted something, she employed everything in her arsenal to get it.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, in a higher voice, giving away the lie. She was terrible at lying.

"Right. If Scorpius notices don't you think I would too? What's wrong?" When Rose didn't answer, Jenna waited patiently as if she wouldn't mind sitting like that for the whole night. After a minute, she sighed and threatened, "Do I have to use force?"

"NO." Rose wrapped her arms around her stomach. Jenna put her hands in the air, curling her fingers to make them look like claws and stood up menacingly. "That's really not necessary…"

"Whatever you say." Rose gaped in surprise as her friend sat back down on the couch. She could have sworn that Jenna was going to---

Jenna swiftly took out her wand from her sleeve and pointed it at her. "_Rictusempra!"_

Rose felt the effects immediately. She doubled over, wheezing and laughing, feeling the Tickling Charm. "STOP! Please, have mercy!" she squeaked out before she lie flat on the floor. The charm lifted suddenly but Jenna's wand was still in the air pointing at her. Some students stared or chuckled at the sight and went back to what they were doing.

"Spill," Jenna repeated, "Or suffer the consequences."

"It's nothing, honestly Jenna…" She paused. She knew she had to tell her something, but how awkward would that be, telling her friend that her mother was substituting in class? "It's just, well…" Jenna pulled Rose up onto the couch, wand still directed at her. "… she looks an awful lot like someone I know… I… I can't place my finger on it and I think my family knows her too. That's all, I swear. Will you put your wand down now?" Rose said the last sentence with a panicky tremble in her voice.

She lowered her wand arm and gave Rose another fierce gaze. Rose held her ground. She knew "the gaze" was coming. If she had been completely lying to her, Rose would have folded and told her everything. As this was not the case she knew for sure that she could bluff past this. When it was over, Jenna put her wand away. She pulled her homework towards her and looked at Rose with a kind of disappointment.

"That's all?" she asked. "I honestly thought it was something life threatening or at least interesting. So you think you know her?"

"Yeah." Rose picked her up her quill and started translating. "She was kind of familiar."

"Who do you think she is?"

Rose paused and whipped something up. "I can't remember her name. I might ask Hugo later."

"Is she someone close?" It irritated Rose how spot on she could hit her mark. One of the things that drew her to Jenna was the fact that she also was not afraid to ask questions, and she had plenty of them.

"I really don't know. That's not it; it's a different combination of vowels." Rose pointed at Jenna's homework.

"Thanks," she answered. They continued to work in silence, with Rose able to finish the second half of her Transfiguration essay before the common room started to empty. Jenna meticulously started to make an outline of chapters five and six in the textbook. Rose sighed. Even without an outline, Jenna would probably get an E or higher. Transfiguration was her best subject. Rose simply reviewed the notes she took in class, then made to go upstairs. "Good night," she said, to her feverishly working friend.

"Night, be up in a second." Jenna had ink splatters all over her face from being so close to the page. Her blue glasses had specks on the lenses and her black locks of hair started to come out from her ponytail. Rose rather liked Jenna's ringlets; she'd rather have ringlets than a thick wad of bushy hair. Her stuff on her shoulder, she drifted towards their dorm, setting the bag down beside the bed, and lunged into the mattress. With an effort, she changed into her night clothes and pulled the curtains around her four poster, trying not to think of seeing her mother in the morning.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hermione, up late grading papers, leaned back in the chair in front of the fireplace. It was so odd, much like everything else she experienced today, to be sitting in Professor McGonagall's old office. She remembered getting her time-turner in this room, getting in trouble and reporting here, and other "fond" memories. Yet this was not the same room. It had been decorated with the current Transfiguration teacher's taste in mind. Gone were McGonagall's tin of ginger newt biscuits sitting on the desk and her tartan plaid theme. Now it was blue in color and nothing in particular stood out. It was very neat, however.

Hermione did not move anything but made her own little place in the corner for her stuff. She wouldn't be staying very long. The headmistress told her no longer than a month, hopefully sooner. She sighed, having finished grading. _Well, they weren't terrible, _she thought to herself, _but they weren't great either. Always room for improvement… _She got ready for bed, yawning, and settled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. _I'll be having Rose and Al first thing in the morning…James in the afternoon… and Lily and Hugo on Wednesday and Thursday… then the other two again on Friday…_

Hermione was glad to see familiar faces here. It was very reassuring to talk to Hagrid at dinner. And the students! She could have sworn she knew at least a quarter of peoples' parents. She really wished Ron was with her. When Hermione told him, he was just as surprised as she was. Hermione felt awfully guilty for not responding to Rose's letter, especially after reading it. What was the point when she was coming? Hermione thought to herself, wondering if her husband would write back to Rose. She giggled. Those chances were awfully low. He probably would not owl nearly as often as she did. Maybe every two weeks, if that. Maybe Ginny would write back? Would Rose still send an owl home even though she was here?

Hermione tried not to worry, slowly but surely taking her mind off things one item at a time. _What a strange way to spend my vacation._She had been working so hard at the office that her boss gave her a much deserved month long vacation, plus a few weeks for Christmas and New Years. This was generous enough as it is, but apparently Professor McGonagall gave her office a call and requested her to temporarily work at Hogwarts. She turned to her side and closed her eyes, trying to think about her lesson plans for tomorrow.

* * *

AN: Wow, that was long. Right then, for the sake of convenience (and nostalgia) I've put Hermione in Professor McGonagall's old office to sleep in. But where do professors sleep? Do they sleep in their office? Where do subs sleep? I mean, Professor Grubbly-Plank certainly didn't sleep in Hagrid's hut. ;) I would ask more questions but I'm sleep deprived... Updates will probably slow since school will be starting next week. (cringe) But who knows? I may update "faster" or something else ironic... Please, do keep reviewing. It makes the fanfic world go round. :D Hope you guys enjoy so far. I wouldn't know unless you _review_, correct? ;) Happy reading!


	6. A Tuesday Morning

Morning. Tuesday morning. Rose was not ready for Tuesday morning. Of course, she didn't really have a choice. Turning on her side, she glanced at the clock. _Two in the morning. Great… Now I have to go back to sleep. _She groaned, rolling onto her back. _What subjects do I have today? _she thought. _Transfiguration, Herbology, Potions, and that's all before lunch…_

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Rose waited in the common room for Jenna. She put her notes away just as Jenna walked in. "Ready for the quiz?"

"I think so," said Jenna. "Just chapters five and six, right?"

"Yup." Rose stood. Before she could take a step, her best friend spoke.

"Hey," she began, "Do you know who the sub reminded you of?"

_How long am I going to have to put this off? _"Erm… no. I guess…"

"Maybe Hugo knows?" Had Rose been in a better mood, she might have laughed at the way Jenna's blue specs were sliding down her nose.

"I'm not sure if she reminds me of anyone. Maybe I don't know her after all." _The best I can do for now… _

Her friend pushed up her glasses and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Oh, well okay then." She resumed a far-off look. Rose led the way to the Great Hall, hoping Jenna would remain distracted enough not to ask nosy questions for the duration of the day.

They already found Al and Hugo at the table sitting across from Scorpius. Lily's head was hidden behind a shiny magazine.

Scorpius found Rose first and smirked. "Ready for the quiz Rose?"

She rolled her eyes. Rose pulled a bowl towards her and filled it with cereal. "Did you study Scorpius?"

"What do you think?" He gestured his fork at her.

Rose honestly didn't know what to think, but admitting that would be the last thing she'd do. "I wouldn't be surprised if you were sitting behind Jenna today."

"Come on guys. Malfoy, eat your waffles." Jenna's eggs were untouched.

He pointed at her full plate. "When you learn to eat breakfast."

"Can you help me with this puzzle, Al? I've got half of it figured out."

Al took one look at _The Quibbler _and replied, "Ask Score. He's not doing anything. I'm rubbish with these puzzles." He took the magazine and dumped it in Scorpius's hands. "Merry Christmas."

"Can't solve a puzzle for your sister, Potter?" But he opened it anyway. "Who writes this stuff?"

"Mr. Lovegood is the editor," said Lily, "but I don't know who writes the puzzles."

He flipped through a few pages. "Is this… accurate?" He read one of the headlines, "Ten Signs that a Wrackspurt is Nearby."

"Just don't bet your money on it," replied Hugo. "Unless you can tell me you have proof of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

Scorpius found the page with the puzzle, marked with a dog-eared corner. Rose laughed as his face turned skeptical, slowly rotating the magazine upside down. The group ate their breakfast unhurried, with Jenna periodically taking out her notes until Rose took them and put the papers in her bag.

"I want those back after the quiz." Rose ignored her.

"Can I keep this for awhile?" asked Scorpius.

Lily turned to him. "Are you going to read the whole magazine?"

"No, I'll ---" Lily snatched it. _Skkccrriittt. _Jenna's head turned towards the sound. With a last examination, Lily handed over the piece of puzzle towards him. Al snickered when Scorpius didn't move.

Eyebrow raised, she looked at him. "Did you want it?"

"… Thank you." He reached his hand over and took it before she could make another loud, distracting noise.

Rose smiled at her cousin as Lily got to her feet. "If you figure out the answer, let me know. Ready Hugo?"

He wiped his mouth hastily, missing a crumb in the corner of his mouth. "See you guys." Lily glanced at Rose, then followed him.

"We better get going too." Jenna swung her leg over the bench. "Mouths clean? Good, let's go." Scorpius folded the puzzle neatly into eighths. Rose watched him make crisp corners and slip it into his bag.

"Perfectionist," she muttered, tagging behind Al.

"Says you," he responded, but by then she was out of range.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Morning. Tuesday morning. Hermione was not ready for Tuesday morning. Of course, she didn't really have a choice. Oh sure, she graded all the papers and technically speaking she had everything under control, but the fact that she was at school and not at home kind of depressed her.

She did not wake up to Ron's snoring, a small but significant indicator that she was not home, in her bed, with her husband.

She did not wake up early, like she normally does, to bug Ron to go to work. And he did not respond by rolling over or covering his head with the blanket like his childish self.

And she did not wake up wondering what her children were doing in school today. Because _she _was the one planning _their _lessons…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"This should take you anywhere from fifteen to twenty-five minutes. In other words, not the whole class period. Please make sure to write your name on the paper. You may begin when you receive the quiz. When you're done, place it upside-down on the table." Hermione walked back to her desk with the extra quizzes, ready to hand out to the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws after lunch.

Fifteen minutes went by. Nobody turned in their quiz. Two more minutes passed. _Did I make it too hard? _Hermione started to panic when she heard a chair scoot backward. _Oh, thank goodness, _she thought, but she didn't look to see who it was. When she heard the student walk back to their seat, she allowed herself to look up.

_Rose… _Another student stood, a Slytherin. _Scorpius. _He placed his quiz on the table and returned to his seat. Six minutes later most of the class finished. One student was left, scribbling furiously, ink splattered all over her fingers. She rose a minute later, ringlets bouncing, and placed her quiz on top. _That must be Jenna, Rose's friend, _thought Hermione. She thought a bit more. _What's her last name? ... Thomas. Must be Dean's daughter. But her face looks like…_

She stopped herself. _I'm supposed to be teaching!_

Hermione walked over calmly to the table and picked up the papers, shuffling them straight, then put them on the corner of her desk. She turned to the young witches and wizards.

Managing to keep her voice even, she asked, "So, how was it?" Hermione, surprised, saw a hand shoot into the air. "Mr. Malfoy?"

"I thought it was very by-the-book. You didn't need any thought at all." As he said this, she searched for sarcasm. She found none; he spoke quite plainly.

"No thought at all?" she asked. "So it was easy?"

"Not exactly," he replied, "but it was taken more or less directly from the text."

"Well, it was not supposed to be hard. It was only to check if you read." She looked around the room. "Does anyone else have any comments?" His hand flew up again.

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy?"

"When will Professor Malter come back?"

"I don't know Mr. Malfoy, but I'll tell you as soon as I find out." There was a brief pause before he raised his hand a third time.

"Is this a comment or a question, Mr. Malfoy?" She couldn't help wondering, _Is_

_this how teachers felt when I was in class?_

"A question." Some people in the back row snickered, some rather loudly.

Hermione decided to let it go. "Yes?"

"Are we allowed to ask you questions about yourself?"

She did not hear a sound, but could feel the class anticipating her answer. _Well, why not?_ "Perhaps," she began, "if we have time after the lesson." With that, he kept his hand down.

"Now that Mr. Malfoy is satisfied for the time being, I think we'll begin."

The lesson went smoothly, again to her surprise. There was the occasional chatterbox that needed a reminder, but nothing else seemed to interrupt the flow of learning and scratching of quills. Fortunately for her, the class ended quickly with her reminding them about their essay due Friday, leaving no time for unnecessary questions. Hermione sincerely hoped the rest of the day would be just as painless.

* * *

AN: I know I'm a pathetic updater and this section was probably choppy. I'm sorry. I'll work harder to update more frequently. I haven't gotten around to all my story alerts and I've given up commenting on all of them. I need to sleep. Thank you for reading and staying with me this far. I really appreciate it. Do comment on what I need to work on, things that you liked, if anything made sense at all, etc. Happy Reading!


	7. Soup

"Jenna, I'm shocked. You raised your hand twice. _Twice._"

She glared at him. "Only because you kept asking questions. I might have raised my hand more if you didn't take up so much time."

"It's not like they were inappropriate. Besides, the lesson was fast. She didn't repeat herself like Professor Malter." He hopped a step. Scorpius kept up the banter with Jenna as Al herded Rose to one side.

"He's right you know," said Al. "The lesson _was _fast."

"It was." They walked a few paces in silence.

"Are you okay Rose?" She looked into his face and saw a concerned cousin staring back. Why did Al have to be Al?

"Of course I'm okay. Now will you believe me or are you going to keep asking questions?" She got behind him and pushed forward. "Move."

"Pushy." He grabbed her wrist and pulled to catch up with the other two.

They were approaching the greenhouses when Rose remembered it was Tuesday. "Scorpius?" she asked. "You don't have Herbology with us."

"Right then," he sniffed, "I know when I'm not wanted." He turned around, heading for the castle without a backwards glance.

Jenna shook her head. "He's covering up the fact he forgot."

"Or maybe he likes you." Al grinned.

She looked at him, perturbed. "Hardy har har. What made you say something so ridiculous?" Al wiggled his eyebrows.

"Al, stop disgracing yourself." Rose once again shoved him, this time through the greenhouse doors.

Like last class the lesson went quickly, yet she didn't feel content. Rose didn't know how she felt about her mother teaching. It was okay, she thought, just different. True, she felt like cringing every time "Professor Granger" swept her eyes near her. True, she did not raise her hand once during this particular lesson. Yes, she was acting odd and Al wanted to know if she was okay. Yet ---

"Rose, are you there?" Jenna waved her hand in front of her face. "Are you going to eat your soup? It's getting cold."

Answering honestly she said, "I'm here. I think."

"We have Charms and Hagrid next. You need your strength. We have no idea what we're doing this lesson." Al pushed the bowl towards her. Rose wasn't really hungry, not with a lot on her mind, but she ate the soup anyway to comfort Al. Before they left for Charms, Lily gave her a hug, then proceeded to walk towards the Slytherin table. Hugo laughed out loud.

"Do you think Scorpius figured out that puzzle?" Rose, who had forgotten about what happened at breakfast, found this question extremely amusing, and in turn laughed with her brother. Soon Jenna and Al joined in until James came over to ask what was going on.

In Charms, taught by Professor Larken, they learned Summoning Charms, resulting in many brightly colored cushions spread out in chaos all over the classroom. Rose volunteered to stay behind and put them away. Deep in thought, she didn't realize Scorpius next to her. He was awfully quiet. Rose wondered if he had just as much on his mind. _But no, _she thought. _This is Scorpius. He doesn't stress over anything. _A pillow to the head interrupted her thoughts, proving her point.

She saw Scorpius with a grin on his face. Rose pointed her wand at the two remaining cushions in his arms. _"Accio!"_

The first one came zooming towards her, which she caught in her other hand. The second one, gripped tightly by Scorpius, jerked him off his feet. With a yell, he let go halfway and tumbled to the floor, belly-side up.

She caught the remaining cushion only to drop everything. Her wand hit the ground as she continued to laugh at the boy on his back, like an overturned turtle. With her eyes shut, she didn't see the smile spreading across his face. Then she snorted.

This time Rose waited, eyes wide, and stared at Scorpius for a reaction. She could feel her face burn red, bracing herself for a witty remark. But none came. Echoes of his laughter bounced off the empty room. He didn't even pick himself off the floor. He was lying there, guffawing, as if he heard the most hilarious joke. And his lonesome figure only made her laugh again.

Rose, thankful Professor Larken was gone, picked up her wand and put away the cushions. Scorpius was standing up when she finished, dusting himself off.

With a characteristic glint he commented, "I've never heard you snort before. You should do it more often."

Her brain, along with her stomach, was numb. "Shut up." Rose looked at the clock. "Hagrid!" She grabbed her bag and raced out the door, hearing Scorpius's feet behind her. So this is why she needed her soup, for sprinting to Care of Magical Creatures…


	8. Yer Late

"Yer late." They came in panting, stopping outside of Hagrid's hut. Rose held out Professor Larken's note. Hagrid looked it over. He squinted at them, somewhat suspiciously. "I don't think it takes long ter pick up pillows." She saw a twitch in his graying, grizzly beard, but she couldn't interpret what it meant. Scorpius was about to respond, Rose supposed with another excuse, when Hagrid stopped him.

"Well," he said straightening. "Since you two came in late you'll have teh be partners." He pointed his thumb at the wooden box. "There's one murtlap left with yer names on it and there's shrimps and crabs ter feed it in the other box. Oh, an' pick up a knife too." A table behind the wooden box was filled with small but sharp knives.

Rose had heard about Blast-Ended Skrewts from her father. _Nasty, ruddy things, _he said. _They were killing each other off. _As her father was telling her this, she saw her mother with a disapproving look in the next room. She commented, _Hagrid will have to find something to replace them. _Sounding relieved she added, _Maybe with something in the textbook._ Mystified, Rose looked at her copy of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ and, oddly enough, they weren't in it. She thought about asking her mother but then thought of Hagrid. Maybe it was best not to know.

"Ugh. They're ugly Hagrid." Scorpius lifted the murtlap by the tail onto their table, watching it stick its pointy nose in the air. "What is the thing on its back?" It appeared to be a small pompom, except not so fluffy. The spikes seemed like tentacles, waving as the murtlap moved.

"Those? They're mighty useful. That's what you'll be doin' next." Scorpius looked at Rose for a better explanation but Hagrid boomed at the class. "When yer done feedin' it, ("Or when it won't take anything," muttered Al.) go ahead and cut the growths off with yer knives."

"What?" screeched Tessa, a Hufflepuff.

"It's okay," reassured Hagrid. "If someone holds 'em behind the neck they won't nip you. Just cut so there's a bit left stickin' out." As an example, he picked up Al and Jenna's murtlap and held it firmly behind the neck so it couldn't twist. After a few seconds of struggling, it quit trying to bite and merely looked around for anything coming in reach of its teeth. Hagrid took his knife and swiftly cut off the growth. It fell to the table and the murtlap was left with a pulsing stump.

"Careful you don't snip too close," he warned, "else it'll start bleedin'."

By the doleful countenances on the students, nobody wanted a bleeding murtlap.

Scorpius tossed a crab on the table near it. Stunningly nimble, it barreled its way towards the food and, with a crack, plunged its teeth through the shell. "So, do you want to cut it off or shall I?"

"Are you manly enough to cut it off?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Was that a joke?"

She looked at him thoroughly confused. "Not really. Why, did I offend you?"

"Never mind. I'll cut, you hold." He picked up the knife, examining the edge.

Rose caught it while it was munching greedily on the crab. Immediately it tried to turn and bite off her fingers. She clenched tighter. The murtlap stopped wriggling and stared at its food just out of reach. Scorpius came close and cut off the spiky ball. The growth fell limp on the table.

"Just put 'em off ter the side when yeh've cut 'em," said Hagrid. "I'll pass a jar around fer you to drop them in."

Jenna raised her hand. "Professor Hagrid? What are the growths used for?"

"Oh. I never got ter that, did I? Yeh see, if yeh pickle them (the longer the better) then eat them, yeh gain some resistance ter jinxes an' curses. O' course, I don't need 'em much myself."

"What does he mean by that?"

"Hagrid's part giant, Al," said Jenna. "He already has some protection." In response to Al's puzzled look she added, "They're very tough to stun, giants. Spells bounce right off them."

"Here Rose." Tessa handed her the jar. Scorpius picked up the odd growth and dropped it in. On the place it was severed it stuck to the side of the jar.

"They're like starfish kind of. Or sea anemones." He turned to Rose. "So what if you ate a lot of these? Would you be completely immune to spells?"

"I don't know," she replied, "but it says in the textbook an overdose can cause purple ear hair."

"Tha's right. Trust me, I've seen it. Don't look too flattering on a person." Hagrid came up behind them and took the jar. Looking around he said, "Everyone's put theirs in? Righ' then, no homework tonight but you'll have some next class. Return yer murtlap to the box an' I'll see yeh on Thursday."

As students were packing, Rose asked Hagrid if she could visit him after Astronomy.

"I'd love to have yeh Rose," he said. "But I don't think you want to spend time with me an' Professor Longbottom." His eyes twinkled. "Of course you can still come if yeh want to; I don't think Neville'd mind."

As much as she liked Neville, she wasn't keen on sharing Hagrid with him today. She said goodbye and made her way to the castle, with Scorpius heading to the greenhouses for Herbology.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The weathered, wooden door creaked opened. "Evening Hagrid. It's starting to get chilly out. I had to wrap up some of the plants before I went to dinner."

"Come in Neville. Yeh can warm up by the fire. Tea?"

"No thanks Hagrid, I'm good." Neville took a seat nearest the fireplace, setting his coat on the back of the chair. "How is everything?

"The usual." Hagrid filled his bucket-sized mug with tea he heated earlier. Fang rested his head on Neville's lap. "Fang's gettin' old. Doesn't bark as much as he used too."

"He still slobbers just as much." Tracks of drool already reached his shoe.

"How's Hermione getting on? I only talked to her at dinner yesterday. She spends a lot of time in the office."

Neville smiled. "I'm sure she's planning lessons. She wants to do the job right."

"No problem fer her, I'm sure." Hagrid lifted his mug to his lips. Taking a long sip he set it down. "Rose asked to visit me tonight," he said. "I told her you were coming."

"Do you think she'll come?"

"Probably not. She has plenty of family in the castle. Her face fell a bit when I told her about you, nothin' against you I'm sure." He smiled.

Neville frowned. "You had her today, right?"

"Yup."

"Did she act different?"

Hagrid's brow scrunched. "No, I don't think so. I didn't ask many questions this lesson. She was the way she always is. Then again, she did come in late to class."

"She did?"

"Well, her and Scorpius. They stayed behind to pick up pillows fer Charms."

Neville remained quiet until Hagrid asked, "Why? Was she actin' funny?"

"She was quieter. I mean, she did her work but she wasn't consulting with Jenna or talking with Al. I don't know, maybe I'm worrying over nothing."

"The Gryffindors are taught with the Hufflepuffs, aren't they?"

"Right, but what does that have to do with anything?" He looked at Hagrid.

"Well, Scorpius…"

He realized where this was heading. "Hagrid, they're just friends."

"So were Ron an' Hermione, an' they bickered fer months at a time over some silly things."

Patiently, Neville tried to explain. "Hagrid, this only started today. Besides, I don't think Scorpius would have much impact on what she does in class anyhow."

"I don' know," he took another long sip, "but she seemed happy enough this class period an' he was her partner too." They sat in silence, Hagrid eventually draining his mug and Neville staring at the fire.

"I think you're getting ahead of yourself… Doesn't Rose have Transfiguration before Herbology?" Hagrid shrugged his broad shoulders, getting up to wash his mug in the sink.

"Why would… What, you think it's Hermione?"

"It must have been a shock for her. But Hugo's not acting strange."

Hagrid chuckled. "Hugo's Hugo. If the school collapsed tomorrow he'd ask if homework's due."

"True. Well I better be heading back. Don't want to overstay my welcome."

"Come anytime. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night Hagrid." He moved Fang off his lap and put on his coat.

"Night Neville. Before yeh know it I'll be hauling in Christmas trees…"

* * *

AN: I would greatly appreciate it if someone let me know if Hagrid's lovable accent is okay. There was a lot of "yer" and "ter" and I don't know if it was getting in the way after reading it so many times. Thanks for reading. Oh, and share the love, REVIEW! ;D


	9. Hedgehogs and Pincushions

By Friday Rose was absolutely exhausted from her classes. She was ready for the weekend.

"One more class, Rose," said Jenna. Her hopeful tone showed she was ready for the weekend too.

_My mother's class, _she thought glumly.

"One more class, Rose!" said Scorpius in his comical imitation of Jenna. He screeched to a halt, running from Potions, and jabbed her fiercely in the arm.

Rose, already cranky, shoved him hard into the wall.

He pushed himself off and continued to tease. "Ooh, someone's got a temper---"

Rose wasn't fully aware of what happened. Malfoy hovered for the smallest second in midair, then fell on his back with a crash. Looking stunned he stared at Rose with disbelief across his face. Jenna timidly stared at her friend with concern when Al came from around the bend, coming back from the bathroom.

Al surveyed the scene. "What happened to you?"

Rose kept looking at Scorpius while Jenna answered. "Rose… Rose kicked him to the floor."

Al's eyes narrowed in confusion. "…What?"

"She… she kicked him." Clearing her throat she explained, "She shoved him against the wall and he said she had a temper and… she kicked him behind the knees to the floor." Her voice dwindled at the end.

Al looked at her quizzically. "Since when do you---" But Rose wasn't paying attention. "Why on earth are you giggling?"

Rose couldn't help herself. She completely disregarded the bizarre situation and found herself thinking how Scorpius was sprawled on the floor for the second time this week.

Jenna nervously cleared her throat again. "We should probably get to class."

Scorpius stood up and brushed himself off. He looked at Rose, who was still giggling. "You think it's funny, kicking people to the floor?"

His glare drew her attention. She managed to compose herself. What had gotten into her? "No, I… Sorry." _What did I do? Why did I do that? _"I… I don't know why I did that," she ended lamely. _I hope he isn't angry at me. I didn't mean to laugh at him._

She knew she was okay when Scorpius said, "Let's go to class. Don't want to be late," and held her firmly at the elbow.

"Why are you---"

"Can't have you going off being a danger to people, can I?" He glanced at her briefly, an eyebrow slightly raised. She didn't like the fact he was leading her by the elbow, but considering what just happened she didn't pull away. They walked like that until they reached the door to the classroom.

Taking their seats, students around them took out their essays. After a few minutes of talking, everyone hushed as Professor Granger walked into the room.

"Everyone has theirs to turn in? Good." Hermione waved her wand and all the papers, curled into scrolls, stacked themselves into a pile on her desk. "Now I think your class left off at turning hedgehogs into pincushions…"

For half an hour students were attempting to transfigure their hedgehogs. Jenna managed it on the second try, making a plump tomato pincushion complete with silver pins, netting Gryffindor 20 points. Rose got hers next, also a red pincushion, except with a few needles and pins with round, colored ends poking out of it.

After 15 minutes, more students had success. By the end of the 30 minutes Scorpius had turned his hedgehog into a lumpy beanbag. Al had even less luck as his turned into a brown ball with gray spikes. When he tried again, he poked it in the rear and it hopped off the desk.

Hermione called the class to a halt, told them to read the next few chapters in their book for homework, and to practice over the weekend. (This was good timing since Hagrid was teaching his third year class about knarls, so he had a few hedgehogs with him as well.) They took notes on their next unit with time to spare. Hermione was about to take out more hedgehogs for practice until Scorpius raised his hand.

"Professor Granger, I think you said we could ask you questions if we had time at the end of class."

"I suppose I did Mr. Malfoy." Hermione waited for a response. When none came, she said, "Well, are you going to ask a question?"

"Oh," he said in a moderately surprised tone. "I was waiting if anyone else had one. Did anyone else have a question?" He scanned the room like a pirate captain, his ship full of snickers, when Jenna raised her hand, an impatient look on her face.

"Yes Miss Thomas?"

"What's your favorite subject?" Her eyes were wide, bright, and curious.

A rude Gryffindor muttered in the back of the room. "It's Transfiguration, duh..."

"If I had to choose Mr. Karoll, it would be Arithmancy."

"Then why are you teaching Transfiguration?"

"Because, Mr. Potter, that's the spot that needed to be filled."

A girl with shoulder length blond hair raised her hand and asked, "So is teaching your actual job?"

"No."

"Then what do you do?" asked Malfoy.

Hermione, hoping nothing bad could come out of her answer, responded, "I work at the Ministry under the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures." She knew if _she _heard she was being taught by a Ministry worker at school her trust wouldn't come easy. How lucky these kids are…

Jenna raised her hand. "Why is Arithmancy your favorite subject, professor?"

With a smile she answered, "It's predictable and precise. There's only one answer to a number problem. They can be interpreted different ways, but I think they're easier to work with."

Rose never knew her favorite subject was Arithmancy.

"Mr. Stoper?" A freckle faced black haired boy rose his head. He made to put his quill away when Hermione said, "I don't mind you doing your homework but," she walked towards his desk near the window, "if I can read upside down, then I believe you're writing the ingredients for the poison, not the antidote. Try the next page."

He blushed, but followed her instructions. Sure enough, the ingredients for the antidote were shown.

Hillary, the blond haired Slytherin in the back, raised her hand. "How many O.W.L.s do you have?"

"Eleven." Jenna raised her hand again. "Miss Thomas?"

"Do you think History of Magic is a boring, worthless subject?" Some groaned, others muttered distinctly.

Hermione knew from the commanding tone that Jenna herself did not believe this. "I don't believe the subject is either boring or worthless. If anything, it's underappreciated."

Rose caught the triumphant smirk of her best friend.

"But with Binns teaching it, history's dead bor---"

"I understand why you say that Mr. Malfoy, but nonetheless it does not diminish the importance of his subject. And it appears question time is over anyhow. I wouldn't want to hold up your weekend. Now remember to practice…"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Jenna's grin was unbearable throughout dinner. Her smugness had increased after class, a bounce in her step. She couldn't whistle, but she tried. It was funny at first; Scorpius did nothing to deny her the glory but it became so irritating Hugo pointed at her and said, "Hey, it's Malfoy!" Rose saw Scorpius turn from the Slytherin table and smirk back as Jenna's face scrunched before taking off her smile completely. Everyone was much better for it as Jenna returned to her normal self, eating her food and commenting on other classes. Unfortunately, the comments came back around to Professor Granger.

"Eleven O.W.L.s… Imagine the studying---"

"Let's not," answered Lily, pouring gravy over her mashed potatoes.

Al asked his sister, "Did Scorpius ever figure out that puzzle, Lily?"

"He did, actually. Or most of it. He just couldn't figure out one thing and I was able to get it."

As her spoon reached her mouth James, genuinely surprised, asked what the answer was.

"A cryptic message that's mostly nonsense. I threw it away."

"Well, that's a waste of magazine," said Hugo, eating a drumstick.

Carl, the boy who was doing potions homework in class, sat and joined them. "Hey."

"Hey Carl," said Al. "I guess Professor Granger helped you on your homework, huh?"

"I'm sure I would have lost a lot of points on it," he said piling his plate. "You know how confused I am in potions. I took the chance and stayed after class to see if she would help me with the rest."

Al tilted his head. "After spotting one mistake on your paper? I don't think that qualifies her to give you homework help."

"Did she?" asked Jenna. Rose looked up.

"Yeah. She helped a lot, actually. I was surprised. She's really smart. She said to come in anytime. I warned her I might be coming in often but she shrugged it off and said if she can help…"

"You could always ask Rose," said Al.

Carl, finishing his carrots, wiped his mouth and walked away before answering, "I don't know, Rose can be really grumpy sometimes." He worked his way up to a brisk pace before Rose realized what he said. Al and James were laughing along with Jackie, Carl's twin sister, who sat close enough to hear farther down the table. Rose tried to pretend it didn't bug her, but Lily's side glances and Jenna's smiles told her it wasn't working.

* * *

AN: I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm so so very very very very very very sorry it took forever. I'm a useless fool and nobody probably reads this anymore...


	10. Around Curfew

"Everything looks good." Rose held out Jenna's ink covered parchment.

"Yes… The weekend!" Jenna snatched the translation from Rose's hand and placed it with her books already in her bag. "Coming up?"

"In a minute. I'll see you upstairs." Jenna rose from her chair, buoyant, and drifted to the girls' dormitories. For the most part the common room was empty as students, like Jenna, finished for the night. It was almost nine when Lily walked into the common room. She made her way with decisive footsteps until she stopped in front of Rose.

"Hey Lily---"

"Rose, Scorpius wants to see you."

Rose bolted up straight, releasing the handle of her bag. "What?" she said. "Why would he want to see me this late? It's almost curfew! He won't make it back to his common room in time; what if Filch catches him?"

"I don't know Rose. Maybe you should see him and ask?" Without answering, Rose got up from her chair and hurried to the portrait hole, stirring a burst of air in the process and scattering her homework on the floor. "Oh Rose," Lily said as she picked up her cousin's papers. She straightened the pile of homework and slid it inside the bag, carrying it upstairs to leave with Jenna.

Rose found him at the bottom of the staircase leading to Gryffindor tower, leaning against the wall. He stood when he saw the frenzied girl approach him. "Scorpius!" she called, nearing a yell. "Why are you---"

"Calm down, you'll wake the whole castle." His smile made her want to shake him.

"What are you doing here?" Rose strained a loud whisper. "It's almost nine! What if you're caught---"

"You still came."

"Of course I came!" she snapped. _What an idiot! _"You know, it's not like you're forbidden to come to our common room. You could have followed Lily without her having to report your silly message."

When Rose drew in a breath, Scorpius replied, "Well, I wanted to ask you something---"

"You could have asked me in the common room!"

"---alone." He waited for her to let what he said sink in.

_… Alone? _she thought. _Alone? Why would he want to see me alone? _She repeated her thoughts out loud. "Alone?" She heard herself repeat the word softly. It seemed much louder in her head.

"Yes." He stood there seeming uptight, his eyes looking around as if searching for something to say.

Rose, hoping that awful caretaker was asleep or something, asked, "Well, are you going to ask me… whatever you were going to ask me?"

Scorpius loosened up as he saw her confused expression. Chuckling, he started. "I was wondering… Well, Hogsmeade weekend is coming up and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me."

She was taken off guard. _He couldn't wait until morning for this? Well, it's not like I have any plans for next weekend. _"Um, yeah. Sure, I'll go."

"Right. I'll just find you in the Great Hall before we set off."

"Okay." _Did he really have to do this now? It's not until next Saturday... _She remembered what time it was and panicked. "Scorpius, you should be in your common room, Filch will be slinking through the corridors!"

"Rose, I know that. You don't need to remind me. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He disappeared with a wave and made his way silently down the staircases. _Oh, please don't run into Filch… or worse, Peeves._ She ran back to the portrait hole where the Fat Lady let her in, hearing her mutter, "Some things never change," before closing. Silently, she walked up the girls' staircase and opened the fourth year dormitory to find Jenna awake.

"Hey. Lily left your bag for you."

"Oh! I totally forgot."

Jenna handed her the bag laden with school work. As Rose changed for bed, Jenna asked her friend, "So what did Malfoy want?"

"What?" she said, fitting an arm through her gown.

"Scorpius. Lily said he wanted you."

"Oh, it was nothing."

"Nothing is still something. What did he want?"

"Stop being nosy and go to sleep." Rose pulled the curtains over her best friend's four-poster bed. She made her way to the bathroom and brushed her teeth followed shortly by flossing. (Her grandparents were quite insistent on dental hygiene.)

When she reached the edge of her bed, Rose heard Jenna say, "I'm asking you again in the morning." She didn't answer back. Rose pulled the blankets over and without another thought went to sleep.

* * *

AN: A bit shorter, but I think sufficient. Quite a bit of dialogue. Thank you guys for reading! :D


	11. Chocolate Frogs

It wasn't until morning that Rose thought about the peculiar conversation with Scorpius. The more she pondered over it, the odder it sounded. _First he asks for me around curfew,_ she thought. _Then he asks a silly question that could have waited… Come with him to Hogsmeade? _It occurred to her that Scorpius always tagged along with them, that is, her, Jenna, and her family, to go to Hogsmeade whether he was invited or not. But what made this time different? _He asked for me, _she answered. _He asked for me. By myself… _Rose felt a bit troubled over this fact. She wished she thought about it the night before. _But then I wouldn't have been able to sleep._ She jerked, hearing a screech as the metal rings holding the curtains around her bed slid to the side.

"Rise and shine!"

_She's such a morning person. _"Hi Jenna."

"It's Saturday!" She twirled around once and sat on Rose's bed, to her amusement. "Ready to wake up?"

"I _am_ awake." Rose flung the blankets on Jenna, covering her face, and raced into the bathroom.

"You know, you still haven't told me what Malfoy wanted!" By then Rose, in anticipation, was already in the shower, the showerhead on full blast.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"So what are we doing today?" They started to walk out in the grounds after breakfast, wandering aimlessly, stepping on acorns.

Rose looked around her. From where they were walking, it appeared they were following the trail to Hagrid's hut. "Hagrid's I suppose." They strolled their way towards his lone cabin near the Forbidden Forest.

Jenna rapped hard on his door to no response. Rose knocked again after a minute. No answer. "Wonder where he is. I don't hear Fang; maybe Fang's asleep."

"So what's Hagrid doing? Making lesson plans?"

"Buying seeds?"

"Feeding the beasts?"

"Probably." They both laughed. "Maybe we can go… I don't know, the Quidditch pitch?"

"If nobody's practicing." They found plenty of space in the bleachers. They sat down in the front row, still wondering what to do on such a Saturday. The sun was out despite the chilling November air. Jenna was bundled up in a hat, scarf, and gloves.

"So… the weather's nice."

"Jenna," Rose said, "Are we really going to sit here and talk about the weather? You hate winter." She started to smile when it was quickly wiped away.

"I don't _hate _winter… I just don't like being cold... So what did Malfoy want?" She yipped the last part.

"He just asked a question!" _She's so persistent!_ Jenna was not keen on letting Rose worm her way out of avoiding an answer. "I told you to stop being nosy, you impertinent girl!"

"And when have I ever listened? Rose, if you're not telling me something, I know it's either troubling you or you're just hiding it because let's face it, _you_ can't lie to save your life." This was true, but she'd no sooner admit it than openly seek a synchronized swim with the giant squid. "Rose, what did he ask you?" Before she could respond, Jenna jumped to a conclusion. "Did he…? No… He asked you out didn't he?" Her face glowed like an obnoxious, blinding light bulb.

"No he didn't!"

"You're blushing!"

"I am NOT blushing!"

"If you weren't before, you are now." Rose could feel her cheeks burn as she spoke. To add insult to injury, Jenna teased, "Red as a rose."

"That's based on the assumption that all roses are red and they're not---they've been bred into different colors and shapes and for other favorable traits due to the supply and demand of customers to optimize maximum profit and believe or not, NOT all people want red roses so it should come as no surprise that not all of them are red so don't even… Just shut up Jenna." Rose's eyes stared at the ground, wishing she had the ability of keeping her own mouth shut in a situation like this. She took the bait and now had to suffer from the hook…

Jenna promptly obeyed and did not say a word, just took in the sight of the empty stands. She was still beaming, though. _This is just like yesterday,_ Rose thought, _when mum… Professor Granger confirmed that History of Magic was… what did she say? Underappreciated?_ She sighed. She saw her friend, waiting patiently, grinning like a successful pixie. Rose sighed again.

"He asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him," she huffed. Jenna remained silent, watching the opposite side of the field. "I wasn't even thinking about it yesterday. He said he sent Lily because he wanted to talk to me…"

"So you're going on a date." Her eyes were still on the far side of the field.

Oblivious, she said, "No, I wouldn't call it a date… It's not a date… is it? I mean… well, he said he would find me in the Great Hall before we left…"

"Well the way I see it, if a boy asks you to go to Hogsmeade with him after curfew, sending someone to fetch you personally… Yes, I'd call it a date." Before Rose could respond, Jenna stood up and yelled, "Practicing for the match?"

Rose turned her head, hearing a response. "Yeah," shouted the captain. "So you Gryffindors better leave! Might tell your Hufflepuff friends what we're up to. Go on, move!" Seven boys were heading towards the center of the field, broomsticks on their shoulders, all dressed in green and silver robes, two of them carrying the trunk full of balls.

"Let's go Rose." She turned to exit the stands. When they both looked back, they saw Scorpius watching them. He caught their gaze and waved. A second later, a third year boy, Darik Flint, dropped the ball chest on Scorpius's foot. Both girls waved back but were largely ignored by Scorpius, who was now scowling at the younger boy. They walked back to the castle, talking about random things, reaching the front doors when Hagrid came out of the Forbidden Forest.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_I've survived my first week of school,_ she thought as she crossed over to her desk, candy on the table. She felt miserable. _Stupid cramps. It had to come on a Saturday… _Hermione waved her wand, wrapping the pack of items in plain brown wrapping paper. _I'll go to the owlery first thing in the morning… Oh! _Remembering her daughter's request, she put in three packs of parchment, two bottles of ink, and an extra quill in a box for good measure. Retiring to bed, too tired to change, she fell into a dreamless sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

On a bright Sunday morning, the gang was eating breakfast, Jenna reading the_ Prophet_, and James catching up on homework. Scorpius decided to join them today. As the owls came in, one barn owl headed straight for Rose, dropping a box and an extra package next to her plate of eggs and toast.

Rose picked it up, puzzled, and looked for a card. She couldn't find one.

"Who's that from?" asked Scorpius. Al stopped eating to watch.

"I don't know. There's no card."

"Maybe you shouldn't open it then," said Hugo, pushing around his bacon.

Rose ignored her brother, opening the box first. She found parchment, ink, and a quill. Rose neatly tore open the second package. She peered inside, finding… chocolate frogs.

Hugo opened his mouth to say something when Rose answered, "Chocolate frogs."

"Oh." He turned back to his plate.

"Who sent you chocolate frogs?" Rose grinned and so did Lily. Scorpius was confused. "Am I missing something?"

"Rose always gets chocolate frogs." Jenna was smiling too.

He turned to the other boys. Hugo just shook his head at him, which translated to, _Don't ask. _Scorpius would just have to remain befuddled.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"_Mum… MUM!" Rose called, her voice bouncing off the walls. "MUM!" She felt scared. She didn't like what she saw. She knew about it, she had heard of it, but she didn't think it was going to be like this…_

_She felt her mother charging through the house. Hermione knocked on the door. "Rose? What's wrong? Are you okay?" _

"_Yes… and no." _

"_Did you run out of toilet paper?"_

"_No..." Hermione mulled over Rose's answers. _Maybe…

"_I'll be right back, Rose. Hold on." She zipped upstairs and came back down with a few things. _I'm glad the boys are outside…

"_Can I come in?" When Rose didn't answer, she slowly opened the door. She saw her daughter, on the toilet... _Yup. That's what I thought.

_Hermione made it all better, helping Rose clean up. She was explaining everything to Rose, telling her what happened every month, what to do when it happened. At some parts Rose just nodded, at others she said, "I know." Hermione wasn't surprised. Maybe she heard about it from other girls._

"_Are you okay?" she asked again. She wasn't used to Rose shrieking in the bathroom, except when Hugo forgot to lock the door._

"_I'm fine… I just wasn't expecting so much… blood."_

"_I know. I didn't either when I got mine." Rose stared at the wall. Hermione gave a small smile. "You know, you scared me. I expected you to come running."_

"_I'm sorry…"_

"_Don't be. You know what?" Hermione stood up and took Rose's hand, leading her out of the bathroom, leaving the dirty clothes in the tub. Taking her to the kitchen, she pulled out a box._

"_What's that?"_

_Hermione reached in and pulled out a chocolate frog. She handed it to her. "Don't tell your brother."_

_She nodded. Hermione went on, "You can have one every day you're on it."_

"_What if I'm in school?"_

"_I'll send some to you."_

"_But you won't know---"_

"_I'm on mine right now. I'll send some to you when I get mine." Rose looked at her, sporting a doubting countenance. Hermione laughed. "What? You think I won't?"_

"_No…" Rose stretched her arm, slowly reached into the box, and gave a chocolate frog to Hermione, resulting in both of them laughing. Hermione hugged her._

"_Thank you."_

"_I love you mum."_

"_I love you too."_

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Rose took a bite from her eggs, put the chocolate frogs in her bag to save for later, and then looked at the staff table. She caught her mother's eye, both of them smiling at each other.

* * *

AN: Ah... Anyway, a warning. I'm going to be _extremely_ busy (result of snow days) so you won't find an update for quite awhile. If I'm lucky... maybe a one-shot. :) Thanks for reading!


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